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Ciftci hit with six-match ban

Ciftci was issued with the charge by the Scottish Football Association after an alleged biting incident during his final match with Dundee United at the end of last season.

He scored twice in a 3-0 win for the Terrors over city rivals Dundee in their last game of the 2014/15 Scottish Premiership campaign but the SFA subsequently claimed that Ciftci “committed an act of excessive misconduct by biting Jim McAlister upon his leg”.

The Turkish forward was then acquired by Celtic earlier this month and has signed a four-year deal with the reigning champions.

The 23-year-old denied the misconduct offence but on Monday he was found guilty by an SFA judicial panel.

The former Portsmouth player will therefore miss Celtic’s six Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures in August, including a trip to Tannadice Park, meaning his first home game in the league could be against Dundee on September 19.

However, he will be available for Celtic’s Champions League qualifying campaign, having made his debut in their 2-0 first-leg win over Stjarnan in the second qualifying round last Wednesday.

Ciftci’s ban is similar to the punishment handed out to Barcelona forward Luis Suarez for his first biting offence.

The Uruguayan striker was handed a seven game suspension for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal during his time at Ajax.